An overview about the nutritional value and wonderful benefits of corn for health

Corn, the scientific name is Zea Mays, is a popular grain in daily meals in different forms like boiled corn, corn soup, corn powder, cheesy creamed corn and so on. Corn has sweet and distinctive flavor. There are different types of corn with different colors like white corn, yellow corn, blue corn or purple corn. Corn is also considered a mysterious food because of some stories about its origin when it was exported to America. However, this writing will not discuss the history of corn, but talk about benefits of corn and explain why this grain has been growing wide world!

Discover Nutritional Values And Awesome Benefits Of Corn

I. Nutritional Facts Of Corn

1. Vitamins

Corn is high in vitamin B complex, especially Thiamin and Niacin. Niacin is to prevent Pellagra, a disease is related to dementia, dermatitis and diarrhea. Thiamin is good for cognitive function and nerve health.

Corn also contains high amounts of Pantothnic acid, an essential acid for protein, lipid metabolism.

While kernels of this grain are high in Vitamin E that help toboost the growth and protect people from disease and illness, folate in corn helps to produce red cells in the human body.

Beta-carotene is a form of vitamin A, this is a good source to enhance skin health, prevent mucus membranes and increase the immunity.

2. Minerals

Corn is abundant with minerals like manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, selenium and iron. Magnesium helps maintain heart health and increase the bone strength. Phosphorous is good for normal growth and improve kidney functions. Other minerals are essential for bone health and prevent bones in the elder from cracking.

3. Carbohydrates

Corn is low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol and high in carbohydrates. Corn helps to provide about 80% of calories of this grain. Just a half cup of boiled corn, you can get 80 calories (out of which nearly 10 calories are from fat).

4. Fiber

Corn can be used in diets because it contains fiber, including insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. With just an ear of corn, it helps to provide 10% of required DV of corn.

5.Antioxidant Properties

Beside vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fiber, corn is also well-known with a great source of antioxidants that help conquer free radicals. In addition, corn contains a phenolic compound, called ferulic acid. This is an anti-carcinogenic component, which works to fight off tumors – factors causing liver cancer and breast cancer.

Anthocyanins in corn are considered eliminators of free radicals. They work to inhabit cancerous cells while help to produce new health cells in the human body.

It is also necessary to know that each corn provides different antioxidant phytochemicals. Blue corn is high in anthocyanin. Purple corn is rich in protocatechuice acid, a strong antiocidant while yellow corn contains carotenoids to boost the concentrations of zeaxanthin and lutein.

The following are nutritional values of corn in details. Let’s take a look at the list:

Fats – 10%

Carbohydrates – 82%

Protein – 8%

Fat – 1.2g

Potassium – 347mg

Sodium – 76mg

Carbohydrate – 41.2g

Fiber – 2.4g

Protein – 5.29g

Vitamin A – 11%

Calcium – 11%

Vitamin C – 33%

Thiamin (B1) – 0.045mg

Iron – 10%

Riboflavin (B2) – 0.182mg

Vitamin B6 – 10.2%

Niacin (B3) – 2.157mg

Vitamin B12 – 0%

Panthothenic Acid – 0.999mg

Magnesium – 57mg

Manganese – 0.091mg

Zinc – 5.6%

II. Benefits Of Corn

1. Corn Helps Protect Your Heart

Many studies have shown that corn contains an anti-atherogenic agent on cholesterol. Therefore, it helps lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Particularly, corn oil is a fatty acid and it is good for heart health: regulating blood pressure and eliminating heart attacks and strokes.

There are many researches on benefits of corn on cancers. Generally, the scientists explain that antioxidants, ferulic acid and phenolic compound, vitamin A in corn are good sources to beat many cancers, including liver cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and colorectal cancer.

4. Corn Helps Prevent Your Anemia

With high amounts of folic acid and vitamin B12 found in corn, this grain can help you prevent anemia by supplying your body with more new red blood cells.

5. Corn Helps You Control Diabetes & Hypertension

The scientists advice people to consume more organic fruits and vegetables like corn to reduce the high risk of diabetes. According to recent studies, consuming corn kernels in daily meals can control hypertension thanks to the help of phenolic phytochemicals in this grain.

6. Corn Helps You Increase Energy And Gain Weight

Corn is a great source of calories, around 324 calories/100 grams. With this source of calories, corn is the top of highest calories for cereals. Therefore, corn provides high amounts of carbohydrates to increase energy in short term and long term.

With this high source of calories, corn is an ideal food to consume if you plan to gain weight.

7. Corn Helps You Have Strong Connective Tissue

Connective tissue consists of tendons, bones, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. Corn contains manganese so that this mineral helps strengthen connective tissue. Besides, manganese also controls your blood sugar levels and breaks down fat and carbs to provide you with more energy.

8. Corn Helps You Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Corn is high in thymine, which is essential in improve cognitive function and boost your brain to have good memory. Thus, eating corn can help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease in the elder.

Corn contains niacin, thiamin, vitamin C, antioxidants and minerals. These components play a great role in skin health. Consuming corn regularly, therefore helps you improve your skin as well as help you get rid of many skin problems like rashes or irritations.

11. Corn Helps You Combat Hair Problems

The regular consumption of corn can help strengthen the hair health because corn is high in lycopene and vitamin C, which aid in producing collagen and helping you achieve smooth hair.

12. Benefits Of Corn On Digestion

With a rich source of fiber, corn is good for your digestive system. It helps you cure hemorrhoids, constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diarrhea and even prevent colon cancer.

13. Benefits Of Corn For Pregnant Women

If you are pregnant, you should add corn in your daily meals. This grain contains folic acid. This mineral helps produce red blood cells for both your baby and your body. Moreover, this nutrient helps prevent your baby from neural tube defect as well as other neural malformations. Plus, iron is helpful to lower homocysteine, a type of amino acids that cause arteries damage. Therefore, eat corn to get rid of deficiency of folic acid in the pregnancy and protect your baby from the underweight situation.

Corns are rich in abundant thiamine, an essential vitamin, which is required for cognitive function and brain cell health of your baby. Thiamine, therefore also reinforces your baby’s memory capabilities.

Zeaxanthin is found in yellow corn can bring positive effects to beat macular degeneration in your baby while pantothenic acid works to boost physiological functioning of your organs during the pregnancy.

14. Corn Helps Treat Urinary Tract Problems

Beside benefits of corn kernels, you also use corn hair to improve your urinary tract problems. Corn hair is a good source of diuretic, antiseptic so that these components help to reduce irritation, inflammation and relieve infection in prostate and urethra problems.

15. Corn Helps Ease Arthritis Pain And Other Joint Disorders

Many researches on corn have shown that consuming tea corn (made of corn hair) is good to eliminate arthritis pain, gout pain and other pain. The infusion works to reduce acid levels, therefore it help reduce body pain.

Moreover, recent studies have proven that hair corn can help to treat joint disorders.

III. Warning

Beside many benefits of corn, you should consider some warns when consuming this grain.

Because corn provides you with rich source of calories, so if you consume corn products out of your control, you can easily get overweight and get some diseases related to obesity.

If you are in the high risk of obesity, you should eat whole corn or avoid consuming corn products with sugar, cheese, butter or cream like corn syrups, corn milk and cheesy creamed corn.

Nowadays, there are many types of genetically modified are created by biological scientists. In fact, most genetically modified plants are forbidden to consume because it can react to long-term health in human.

Like other foods, corn allergies also happen. When you get allergic to this grain, your immunity reacts against corn products. The symptoms of allergies vary in different levels from mild to severe situations. The following are common corn allergies you might get:

Mild symptoms of corn allergies:

Migraine headache

Vomiting and nausea

Gas

Abdominal pain

Rash

Abdominal bloating

Itchy skin

Swelling of mouth and tongue

Fever

Severer symptoms of corn allergies:

Diarrhea

Allergic asthma

Urinary tract infection

Arthritis

Mood swing

Anaphylaxis

For more details, anaphylaxis symptoms happen in both children and adult, consisting of: suddenly low blood pressure, tightness in chest and difficulty in breathing, unconsciousness and dizziness.

Doctors advise people who suffer from diverticulitis – a kind of inflammation in the intestine to avoid eating corn because this grain can make their diverticulitis worse.

I have shown you the complete writing about great benefits of corn on health and some warns in using this grain for good.

It is hoped that you find this article helpful. If you have any feedback about my writing, show it here at the comment box below!